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About the Book

Branding Television examines why and how the UK and US television industries have turned towards branding as a strategy in response to the rise of satellite, cable and digital television, and new media, such as the internet and mobile phone.

This is the first book to offer a sustained critical analysis of this new cultural development. Branding Television examines the industrial, regulatory and technological changes since the 1980s in the UK and the USA that have led to the adoption of branding as broadcasters have attempted to manage the behaviour of viewers and the values associated with their channels, services and programmes in a world of increased choice and interactivity. Wide-ranging case studies drawn from commercial, public service, network and cable/satellite television (from NBC and HBO to MTV, and from BBC and Channel 4 to UKTV and Sky) analyse the role of marketing and design in branding channels and corporations, and the development of programmes as brands.

Exploring both successful and controversial uses of branding, this book asks what problems there are in creating television brands and whether branding supports or undermines commercial and public service broadcasting.

Branding Television extends and complicates our understanding of the changes to television over the past 30 years and of the role of branding in contemporary Western culture. It will be of particular interest to students and researchers in television studies, but also in creative industries and media and cultural studies more generally.

Reviews

'Much more than joining a conversation, Johnson's (2001) research is starting it, making a case for a field of scholarly inquiry largely ignored thus far by television studies. Branding Television provides a solid theoretical foundation for further research, and one that fills in a gap within the breadth of work on television's industrial and economic development over the past several decades.'Darcey West Morris, Critical Studies in Television

'Catherine Johnson's book Branding Television contributes to television studies by describing, explaining, and illustrating why and how television industries have turned to branding as a response to changes in technology….The book draws on a rich and detailed knowledge of both British and American television industries during this period…..'Alison Payne, NECSUS: European Journal of Media Studies

'Branding Television analyzes different strategies from channel branding to quality schedule branding, from relationship branding to service branding and to programme branding in the UK and US landscape…a value of this present book is the plenitude of case studies: from different broadcasts of two different nations and addressing both commercial and public services…to compare corporate, channel/service and a program's brand as interrelated elements allows [us] to consider television as a cultural form and to understand its evolution from a different perspective.'Deborah Toschi, Cinema&Cie

Table of Contents

Introduction: ‘But Television’s Not Soap!’: Theories and histories of branding and television Part I: Branding and the US Television Industry Chapter 1. The Age of Brand Marketing: US network television enters the digital era Chapter 2. It’s Not TV, It’s HBO!’: Branding US pay-TV Chapter 3. The End of Public Service Broadcasting?: Branding and UK television in the digital era Part II: Branding and the UK Television Industry Chapter 4. All the 4s: Branding Commercial UK Public Service Broadcasting Chapter 5. Of Logos and Idents: Branding interstitial space Part III: The Texts and Intertexts of Branding Chapter 6. Programme Brands Chapter 7. Negotiating, Contesting and Managing the Brand

About the Author

Catherine Johnson lectures in Film and Television Studies at the University of Nottingham. Her research examines the Western television industries and the impact of industrial shifts on the cultural artefacts they produce. She is the author of Telefantasy (2005) and co-editor of ITV Cultures (2005).

About the Series

The Comedia series features new theoretical and empirical work exploring the dynamics of the arts and culture industries, and addressing critical issues in the field of contemporary popular culture: issues of production, design, marketing, and consumption. While the principle focus is contemporary, the series also offers historical, educational, and policy-oriented perspectives across a broad range of media and cultural forms, from the news media to the visual arts.